Petrichor
by the grape question
Summary: Loki is moved to a SHIELD base in New Mexico, where Darcy is working. Loki is supposedly harmless now. Except if he isn't.
1. Chapter 1

**Edited first chapter! The second one is finished as well, so tell me what you think. c:**

* * *

This heat wave was killing her, it's like the air was buzzing around her head. Darcy's thick hair, too thick for New Mexico weather, stuck to her neck while she drove her new, ancient truck to the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility where Jane, and consequently, Darcy, now worked. It had recently been built, along with much of the rest of the town's buildings after Big-ass Metal Man destroyed most of it. But, sadly, the agency drew the line at replacing personal items. Especially for a nobody like her.

That means Darcy was stuck with the cheapest car she could get. Her parents helped her pay for her previous one back in high school, but now that she was an 'adult', she was expected to take care of these things on her own. College debts didn't make it any easier. Damn, she missed her old, much newer, car. It had A.C. And the windows didn't stick. And yeah, it had been a hell of a lot prettier. She wasn't too proud to admit that she missed that too.

It got her where she needed to though, regardless of style. When she stepped in (blissfully air conditioned), it was quiet. Strange, it was never quiet. This wasn't the kind of place that 'did' quiet. And Jane had been all a-flutter last night over some important government update. Darcy didn't bother to ask about it, clearly it didn't concern her. Now at work, all she could assume was that the noise had traveled somewhere else, the paperwork with it. She has to track it down like a damn bloodhound. Darcy sighed on the way up the elevator. She probably wasn't going to get home at any kind of reasonable time.

_ring, ring_

"Yeah Jane? On my way up."

"What? Damn, never mind then-" Oh my. This _must_ be important if Jane almost swore.

The elevator door slid open at the third floor and Jane almost ran her over.

"I'll be right back! Just stay back there, he'll explain!" Jane shouted over her shoulder. Well, that was...unexpected? Darcy closed her phone.

'Back there' was where they kept the super secrets, where low-level volunteers would never be allowed, and 'he' was Fury. Something big _was_ going down. But when all that meant was twice the work, Darcy couldn't get herself excited.

"Miss. Lewis." He greeted her. "Step in here to wait for Miss. Foster until she returns. She'll need you." Of course she would. It should also be noted that Fury is the only other person in this building who knew her name. And not even her first name, but since everyone else in this building only associates her with coffee and reports, that's about all she can expect.

Fury led her into an interrogation style room where on the other side of the glass was-

"Oh, shit!"

"Miss Lewis, please calm down."

"That's...oh my god! What is Loki doing here? Isn't he...not supposed to be?" Darcy sat down, staring in shock at the god sitting across the other room very placid and dejected. She thought he'd be raging and pounding on the doors. But he just sat, unaware of their presence. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the door open.

"Wait! Where are you going? You can't leave me! I'll be dead before the doors closes!"

Fury explained the binding spell and crazy magic-ness and all the reasons it was safe to practically be in the same room as the guy-_the god_, that leveled a small town and half of a major city. He left for something more important the rooms with specific instructions to not speak with the prisoner. Under any circumstances. And then he was gone.

It took four minutes for Darcy to get bored of waiting. He honestly didn't seem to be able to see her. She'd waved her arms around for a bit, and though she'd _never_ talk to the prisoner after Fury told her not to, she'd 'accidentally' knocked over a chair. Not even a twitch. With the situation no longer being dangerous, Darcy decided it was no longer interesting and sat herself down to play some Tetris.

Three levels past, and a cold, silky voice came through the speakers.

"Are you quite done now?"

Darcy nearly fell out of her chair.

"As amusing as it was, I was under the impression you were not to interact with me." She didn't seem to bright, even by mortal standards.

"He...he just said not to talk to you." Oops. Loki chuckled. This was an interesting development. Every being has an energy, what they would call magic. It was also possible to exchange it, so there was a slim possibility that she could give up enough of it that he could escape. He probed further.

"Why are you even here? Clearly you don't hold any influence here."

Darcy paused. What damage could it do, really, to tell her that she was harmless? "College credits." she answered.

"Hmm. Unpaid with no influence, or significance. You seem very expendable." It's been very easy to get her to open up so far. Just a little more, he already felt stronger.

Loki leaned forward and watched her reaction. A strange warm shiver crept over Darcy. "You seem flushed." He smirked.

"Oh well, you know...heat wave. New Mexico climate..."

He continued to watch her grow flustered, and finally laughed. Silly mortal females. Who knew they were so weak?

"Maybe I can help. Thor's not the only one able to call the clouds." This would take a lot of power, but if this worked...

Outside the one small window, the sky grew dark and with a sudden gust, rain fell for the first time in months. Darcy stared in amazement, ignoring the 'normal' corner in her mind screaming at her. He still had had magic, that was a problem. But a problem for later, right now Darcy just momentarily marveled that he bent the clouds and made it rain for a nobody like her. Normal thoughts were over rated anyway.

* * *

**Welp, hope you like it. R and R  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Tada! Second chapter. Darcy and Loki have a nice conversation and try digging around in each others brains. Rated for Darcy's potty-mouth.**

* * *

Those normal thoughts came rushing back to her quickly. In that moment she felt light, the entire building plunged into darkness. Too dark to see Loki in the other room.

_"If he's there."_ And right on cue, Loki appeared at the door.

"You're coming with me." he smiled pleasantly.

What? "Nope. No I absolutely am not! You're crazy if you think-" She reached for her taser, but suddenly Loki was _there_, fast enough to make her dizzy.

"You welcome to try, dear, but I'd rather you not make this difficult." Bluffing. He was bluffing and didn't think he could stand that small device that could take down even Thor. But she believed him and sat it down, shaking.

"Why do you need me?" She grew worried when she couldn't think of an answer. Wild possibilities ran through her mind, starting with ritual sacrifices. She _was_ in the presence of a crazy.

It would work best if she didn't know, so the only response he granted her was "All in due time. Now stand."

She did. Darcy was trying very hard not to run off, because she had faith if she did, he would catch her. And if he had the power to take down SHIELD's power, she didn't want to test him just yet.

"Now walk." She jumped when she didn't see him anymore. The magic Loki was feeding off of stuttered as she grew cautious. He ground his teeth. His entire escape out of this pathetic structure depended on keeping this mortal appeased. To be dependent is to be weak.

Fury came running down the hall. "Loki." he demanded.

Darcy's heart stuttered. Her freedom was so close, but Loki's hand tightened on her arm.

_"I got away."_ He hissed in her ear.

"He-he left. Or...I don't know." She stammered helplessly and off Fury ran, taking her with her hope. Together, they made it the rest of the way outside, not a single person stopping to ask how she was, could she get home, not even a glance was spared her way. She supposed she should be used to it, no one ever did, but she'd never _needed_ their attention before.

This was probably the universes twisted idea of a joke. The only attention she'll get is when she's being kidnapped.

_No, _not_ kidnapped. He'll get out of here and leave._

Loki remained silent while she pondered through her situation. He _had_ been planning on leaving her once he emerged outside, but he'd underestimated the amount of power he could draw from a mortal. He would have to borrow her for a little longer. He was sure she wouldn't mind.

A cool breeze touched Darcy's skin when she stepped out of the front doors. She breathed in her freedom.

"'Kay, Mr. Loki. Here you are, safe and sound, a free man. Free _god_, sorry. And I think I'll just be on my way..."

Now visible, Loki grabbed her arm. "You don't think I'd just let you walk _away_ did you? And have you run off to Fury about me?"

Shit. Goddamn fuck. _Loki_damn fuck. "Well, I'd been counting on that. Hoping you'd find it in your big Asgardian heart to-"

"Frost giant."

"Eh? What was that?"

"I am a frost giant. Not an Asgardian."

Darcy appraised him, distracted from her attempt at freedom. "A bit small for a giant, aren't you? Bit small for a god, even." Loki snarled at her, he'd gotten that enough in his life, and pulled her along away from the building. But now Darcy's mouth had some momentum going and kept talking.

"So why are you the _god_ of Mischief? Does that mean frost giants do magic like you?" She paused for an answer. Nothing. Oh well, try again. "Why do you look like a not-frost giant?" He muttered something. Hard to tell what, but Darcy took it as a good sign.

"That's very interesting. Tell me more."

Loki turned his eyes back at her. She had, quite rapidly, lost her fear of him. Or at least, enough of it that she felt comfortable conversing with him so casually. And every time he answered, she grew more curious, and more willing to ask about him.

Hmm, asking about him. That means this could all be for SHIELD. Is that why they left he there alone? Not because they underestimated him, but foresaw that he'd speak to her. Well they went through a lot of planning for nothing.

"I ran off as a child, Odin found me and took me in." He fed her lie after lie and she believed every word. She seemed to have no knowledge of him, or any of the event in New York, other than what their media spouted out.

"Because frost giants were hated creatures, Odin showed me how to cloak myself so I could walk freely around the palace as another son." He spun a story of a happy childhood. Darcy wondered how he could come from such a happy family, and end up as...

"Why did you destroy New York? That was kind of a not cool thing to do. That _really_ sucked."

"Sometimes, gods forget-"

"Frost giant." Darcy cut in, smug.

Loki sighed and continued "_And_ frost giants, forget how fragile mortals and their realms are. In most other worlds, the damage you sustained was actually fairly minimal." Not entirely false. He wasn't trying to destroy their world, obviously. Just making a point.

"To be fair," he added "None of that would of been necessary if you'd all simply submitted to begin with."

"Then you might want to try starting somewhere else next time. New Yorkers ain't giving up. It's against their religion."

* * *

**Thanks for the reviews so far, there's a lot more than I expected. Clearly you all seem to have a lot more faith in this than I do. By the way, I'm going to be taking the first chapter down at some point for some editing, maybe**


End file.
